Article 8

On the basis of information received under the third subparagraph of Article 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013, Member States and the Commission shall exchange information and best practices about the progress made in the implementation of this Regulation. Where appropriate, Member States shall involve local and regional authorities in the process. The Commission shall publish a yearly overview of that information and submit it to the European Parliament and to the Council. The Commission shall consult and be assisted by an Expert Group composed of a representative of each Member State. In particular, the Expert Group shall assist the Commission in: monitoring the implementation of this Regulation; taking account of national plans or national strategies, where applicable; taking measures to evaluate the implementation of the work programmes on a financial and technical level; addressing existing or emerging project implementation problems; defining strategic orientations prior to the drawing-up of the annual and multiannual work programmes referred to in Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013, with particular regard to the selection and withdrawal of actions contributing to projects of common interest and the determination of the budget breakdown, as well as the revision of those work programmes. The Expert Group may also consider any other issue relating to the development of the trans-European networks in the area of telecommunications infrastructure. The Commission shall inform the Expert Group on the progress made in implementing the annual and multiannual work programmes referred to in Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013. The Expert Group shall cooperate with entities involved in the planning, development and management of digital networks and services as well as with other relevant stakeholders. The Commission and other entities in charge of the implementation of this Regulation, such as the European Investment Bank, shall pay particular attention to the Expert Group's observations. In conjunction with the mid-term evaluation and the ex-post evaluation of Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 as referred to in Article 27 of that Regulation, and with the assistance of the Expert Group, the Commission shall publish a report on the progress in the implementation of this Regulation. That report shall be submitted to the European Parliament and to the Council. The report shall provide an evaluation of the progress achieved in the development and implementation of projects of common interest, including where relevant delays in implementation and difficulties are encountered, as well as information about commitments and payments. In the report, the Commission shall also evaluate whether the scope of the projects of common interest continues to reflect technological developments and innovations, as well as regulatory or market and economic developments and whether, in view of such developments and the need for long-term sustainability, funding for any of the projects of common interest supported should be phased out or sourced in other ways. For projects which are likely to have significant effects on the environment, those reports shall include an analysis of the environmental impact, taking into account, where appropriate, climate change adaptation and mitigation needs, and disaster resilience. Such an evaluation may also be carried out at any other time when it is deemed appropriate. The achievement of the specific objectives set out in Article 3 shall be measured ex post, inter alia, on the basis of: the availability of digital service infrastructures, measured by the number of Member States connected to each digital service infrastructure; the percentage of citizens and businesses using digital service infrastructures and the availability of such services across borders; the volume of investments attracted in the field of broadband, and the leverage effect, for projects funded through contributions from public sources referred to in point (b) of Article 5(5).

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-06 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.